They had a unique method of communication, where they used inaudible pulses of energy in wavelengths that were not perceptible to human eyes.
The Grysk Hegemony made use of Attendants as their hyperspace navigators through the dangerous Unknown Regions. The Grysk "Jixtus" even had a pair in his personal service. One of his pawns, the Agbui Haplif, was disturbed by the beings, having never seen any other species like them and being unaware of where they had originated. Additionally unsettled by their eerie eye lenses, purple robes, and constant silence, he figured they came from somewhere far out within the Unknown Regions. Haplif and his fellow Agbui nonetheless used an Attendant as their navigator until Jixtus deployed the Pathfinder Qilori.
The Attendants were active in the Imperial Era, during which time they still served Grysks. Under the Hegemony, the Attendants trained other alien species in navigation so that Grysk starships could travel through the Unknown Regions. After an attack on a Grysk warship by the Galactic Empire and Chiss Ascendancy, allied forces rescued Un'hee, a Chiss Force-sensitive. Imperial Chiss Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo and Ascendancy Admiral Ar'alani questioned Un'hee if there were other Chiss aboard the Grysk vessels that the allied forces were combating, which they denied as there were only other species that had been trained by the Attendants.
Following the fall of the Galactic Empire at the Battle of Jakku, what was left of the Empire fled to the Unknown Regions in order to escape from the New Republic and plan their revenge. Although most of the surviving Imperial officers would have likely died while crossing the uncharted Regions, the ancient hyperspace trails blazed by the Attendants helped them to stay there, where they eventually formed the First Order. The Attendants served the First Order's Supreme Leader Snoke, a genetically engineered strandcast created by the resurrected Sith Lord Darth Sidious, after his first demise at the Battle of Endor, who unwittingly and obliviously served as his puppet and proxy in power over the First Order. At least two Attendants were aboard Snoke's flagship, the Supremacy, after the Evacuation of D'Qar in 34 ABY, where they had designed and operated the oculus viewing scope in Snoke's throne room.
Two Attendants were in Snoke's throne room when General Armitage Hux entered the chamber after the battle over D'Qar. As Hux and Snoke conversed, the Attendants carried on with their mysterious work at the oculus viewing scope. Later, as Kylo Ren arrived, the Attendants slowly turned to look over to Snoke before turning back to the oculus. As Ren knelt before his master, the Attendant closest to the throne turned and slowly looked to Ren and kept its gaze on him while the other Attendant's attention remained on the oculus. As Snoke moved from his throne to Ren, the Attendant turned back to the oculus as the second Attendant moved to watch the interaction between Snoke and Ren.
Both watched and did not react as the Supreme Leader struck Ren with Force lightning when he attempted to attack Snoke in a fit of anger. They continued to remain still as Snoke returned to his throne. Sometime later, Hux entered the throne room to find it in shambles and on fire. Looking around he saw that the Attendants had fled before seeing Snoke dead in a crumpled heap before his throne.
The Attendants first appeared in the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the second installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
They were based on concept art by Ivan Manzella originally for J.J. Abrams' 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens and were considered for Gareth Edwards' 2016 Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, before being finalized by the Lucasfilm Ltd. artists for The Last Jedi by recommendation of Michael Kaplan.
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